Devi – Season Two | Fashion Post | Dashami Look | Collaboration Post

A very warm welcome to my blog and wishing everybody “Shubho Mahalaya“! On Mahalaya, invitation is given to Goddess Durga to descend on to the earth along with her family. Mahalaya marks the arrival of Devipaksha (fortnight of the Goddess), the day when Goddess Durga is believed to have started her journey with her four children to her mother’s home leaving behind her abode in the Himalayas. At the break of the dawn, it is a custom to listen to tune into the “Mahisasura Mardini” broadcast on the radio. Birendra Krishna Bhadra, in his sonorous voice renders the Mahalaya recital for two thrilling hours, leaving behind every household mesmerised with the divine aura of his narration.

This post is in collaboration with eight fellow Bengali Bloggers, who have all come together to make your Durga Pujo a little more special. From unique recipes, fashion posts, last minute skincare hacks, makeup techniques and easy D.I.Y.’s, the blog posts will be the answer to most of your last minute Durga Puja preparations. So stay tuned till the end of this post for I shall introduce you to one of these awesome bloggers.

I have created two different looks for Vijaya Dashami using the same saree. The looks are distinctively similar to each other, yet different. I have gone the very old-age traditional way with a white taant saree with red border. The saree has tiny red butis all over it. It has a rich zari pallu. It is a heritage piece, for it has been passed on by my great-grandmother. You will find many such unique pieces in my wardrobe, preserved with a lot of love and care. Without any further delay, let us move on to the two looks that I have created.

For Look One, I chose to pair the saree with a brocade blouse. The blouse piece was brought from a shop at Nagerbazar, Dumdum and was stitched by a local tailor. The saree was draped in a regular manner (however, you could opt for the traditional bengali “aatpoure” way of draping it).

I am not too fond of using too many things for makeup. Firstly, because I am plain and simply lazy! Also the humid weather in Kolkata will not let me survive with too many products on my face. For my base makeup, I started off by applying Mac Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage. This primer does wonders for my skin and really helps my makeup last longer. Then I applied Mac Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation and have set it with a Mac Compact. I have filled in my eyebrows to give the look an extra dimension with a brown eye shadow. The eyes have been lined with black kohl (From Marc Jacobs). A generous coat of Mascara (By Too Faced) to complete the eye makeup. My nails went Matte with Nykaa’s Nailpaint in the shade Raspberry Tart. For my Lips, I chose the Cult Classic “Ruby Woo” by Mac. Only difference being, this time instead of using it directly from the bullet, I used a lip brush to apply it on my lips. And the precision of the application was next to perfect! A classic red bindi, some sindur, and I am all ready for Dashami’s Sindur Khelaa.

I am not much of a jewellery person either. A pair of gold plated jhumkas and a simple mangalsutra was more than enough to complete this look. Add to that, my shankha-pola (red and white bangles), which is usually worn by me at all times. A simple crystal brooch added some extra zing to the otherwise traditional saree.

I have naturally wavy hair, so I did not have to do much about it. After shampooing, I blow dried my hair and applied some hair serum to untangle the knots. That is it.

For Look Two, I changed into a red sleeveless blouse for a more comfortable fit. They are very easily available at any Market in West Bengal. I got mine from a local shop in Nagerbazar, Kolkata. Tied my hair into a neat bun, and adorned it with some “bel phool“. My jewellery got a makeover too, as I settled down for an antique statement piece along with matching danglers. And that is it. Same makeup, same saree, but two different looks for Durga Pujo.

Statement Neckpiece bought online. Matching danglers from Westside, Camac Street.

So that was all for this post. Hope you enjoyed going through this post as much as I enjoyed creating the look for Dashami. Shokkol ke sharodiyar shubheccha! (Wishing everybody a happy and eventful Navratri). I do look forward to your comments eagerly, so do leave a line or two below. It would really mean a lot to me.

And I have saved the best for the last.

Presenting next on our collaboration series is a very pretty young lady, Aishwarya, who has shared some of her last minute tips and tricks for Skincare and Health. Her blog post is an excellent compilation of a very useful checklist for before and during Durga Puja. So make sure you check out the link below

Pre Puja Rupchorcha

Her Facebook page is also being linked HERE

Love, Sanandita.